GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS

hal · 02-11-2012, 12:22 AM

For what it is worth, I based an entire campaign premise on Orcslayer - and even expanded the details involved in why the orcs were taking human prisoners, and why they desperately needed something that humans did well, that the Orcs did not...

Food production.

I then back tracked with the idea (and this was before GURPS BANESTORM came out) that if the Orcs originally were populous and were beaten by the Humans, it was probably because they lacked social cohesion (not unlike the plains indians of America way back when, as well as numerous other tribal organizations that meet up with a well organized invading group).

Long story short? The mover behind the scenes as revealed by the latter part of Orcslayer, had to engage in a war of unification with the orcs in order to take on the humans at Castle Defiance. From there, the orcs needed to keep the humans alive to work the farms so that the orcs who crossed the great desert, could re-invade Caithness and perhaps grab it back from the Humans.

To do all of this however, the orcs had to master the arts of mining - otherwise, they'd be fighting against iron armed humans with little more than bone and stone and wood.

In any event, I detailed the number of manors in operation in support of the humans at Castle Defiance. I also determined the number of humans on the Defiance side of the Great desert, and from there, had a working background that I could use for the players.

So - Orcslayer wouldn't be a bad product to upgrade to 4e status, but it would also make for a nice Gazeteer style product where the region is detailed in more depth. Problem is? With the introduction of GURPS BANESTORM, much of what I had worked out, would either be worthless, or, of no value in the big picture, because Castle Defiant falls to the Orcs by fiat rather than leaving that option to the GM. (Of course, any GM can change things as they see fit - but a module that goes against published material, isn't a very smart move - another reason I really dislike GURPS BANESTORM in general).

Ah well. Nuff said.

02-11-2012, 12:22 AM	#10
hal Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: GURPS Orcslayer - Entry level GURPS For what it is worth, I based an entire campaign premise on Orcslayer - and even expanded the details involved in why the orcs were taking human prisoners, and why they desperately needed something that humans did well, that the Orcs did not... Food production. I then back tracked with the idea (and this was before GURPS BANESTORM came out) that if the Orcs originally were populous and were beaten by the Humans, it was probably because they lacked social cohesion (not unlike the plains indians of America way back when, as well as numerous other tribal organizations that meet up with a well organized invading group). Long story short? The mover behind the scenes as revealed by the latter part of Orcslayer, had to engage in a war of unification with the orcs in order to take on the humans at Castle Defiance. From there, the orcs needed to keep the humans alive to work the farms so that the orcs who crossed the great desert, could re-invade Caithness and perhaps grab it back from the Humans. To do all of this however, the orcs had to master the arts of mining - otherwise, they'd be fighting against iron armed humans with little more than bone and stone and wood. In any event, I detailed the number of manors in operation in support of the humans at Castle Defiance. I also determined the number of humans on the Defiance side of the Great desert, and from there, had a working background that I could use for the players. So - Orcslayer wouldn't be a bad product to upgrade to 4e status, but it would also make for a nice Gazeteer style product where the region is detailed in more depth. Problem is? With the introduction of GURPS BANESTORM, much of what I had worked out, would either be worthless, or, of no value in the big picture, because Castle Defiant falls to the Orcs by fiat rather than leaving that option to the GM. (Of course, any GM can change things as they see fit - but a module that goes against published material, isn't a very smart move - another reason I really dislike GURPS BANESTORM in general). Ah well. Nuff said.